Ways to Get Involved Wednesday: Lighting the Way to A Greener Holiday

The holiday season is in the air. This year we are facing a shortened holiday season and it is going to be more important than ever to focus on preparing for the season early. The stores have already been stocked full of seasonal merchandise, as we will all start to think about how we plan to spend our budget this year. While some may view this season as a time of excessive decoration, there is a way to make the frills of the holidays more globally conscious.

One way Americans can be smart about their energy consuption during this time is by investing in a new lighting technique for their living spaces, holiday decorations and Christmas tree lighting. LED lights or “light emitting diodes” create light in a different way than traditional in incandescent lighting methods. The bulbs are made to last as the are constructed from plastic. The lights have become more affordable in recent years and a string of these lights can now be found for as cheap as $5.00 at many stores across the country including Costco.

According to an article by The Kansas City Star LED bulbs “Can save about 80 percent or more of the energy used by incandescent bulbs” (Everley). Purchasing these lights in stores is expected to increase this season. The article mentions that major retailers are beginning to plan for the shift to energy saving holiday decorations. Everley notes “Wal-Mart is devoting half of its shelf space for Christmas lights to LEDs and offering a string of 50 mini LED lights for $5, down from $6.30 last year.”

One of the main ways in which people can become involved in the holiday energy saving initiatives is by turning in their old lights to recycle and save on new more green lighting methods. The Home Depot has a new campaign which allows customers to save $3.00 to $5.00 on their purchase of LED lights when they turn in functioning or broken lights to be recycled. From November 7th to 17th people can participate at their local store. Find out more info here.

For only 11 days we thought the deal above was a great offer to take part in. Every little effort we can make to reduce our energy use in Chicago and across the globe will help us enjoy white holidays for many years to come.